Gimme Shelter 2017: 21c Museum Hotel

The latest addition to the 21c Museum Hotel chain is housed in a brick building with arched windows on Second Avenue in downtown Nashville. (Built in the 1890s, it’s on the National Register of Historic Places.) Entering the space, you’re transported to a high-end art gallery and event space — live camera feeds are projected onto the walls of the lobby. There’s a chic gift shop containing Nashville-related trinkets and Olive and Sinclair chocolates. 

The museum space is open 24/7, to anyone. The name 21c — as in, 21st century — is a nod to the contemporary art that’s the main focus of the hotel gallery. Looking for somewhere to bring a date? Grab a drink at Gray and Dudley, which is tucked into the side of the building, and then wander the halls, or join one of the free art tours that take place every Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m.

The building is full of sleek conference rooms and artsy nooks, but the real standouts are the artist suites, a feature at each of 21c’s seven locations. Nashville’s 21c features three suites, each designed and curated by an artist who was selected by chief curator and museum director Alice Gray Stites. The Sanctuary Suite, designed and curated by Dutch artist Sebastiaan Bremer, screams “Music City” — half the suite is a dedicated recording studio, complete with an array of instruments including guitars and basses (and chimes!). The bedroom portion of the suite is set up as a visual art studio with paint supplies, an easel and artwork on pieces of scrap paper pinned to the floral wallpaper, like you might find on the walls of a teenager’s bedroom. The bathroom features a custom bubble machine, which pumps bubbles into the shower. The suite’s vibe is like that of a relaxed, homey — and just messy enough — artist’s loft. 

For an entirely different experience, visit Ouroboros Mosquito, the artist suite designed by Adrian Grenier, director of the documentary Teenage Paparazzo, and best known for his role as Vincent Chase on Entourage. Slick and sophisticated — primarily black-and-white with small pops of color — the rooms in Grenier’s suite focus on the media and celebrity, featuring large photographs and artwork. A yellow cathode-ray TV plays messages and films from Grenier, and stacks of tabloids litter the room. 

The top floor of the 21c features more traditionally designed suites with stunning terraces overlooking downtown Nashville and the Cumberland River. The crème de la crème is the 21c Suite, which has a stunning wrap-around deck and can hold up to 75 people, between the indoor and outdoor space.